First shipment

First shipment

Computers played a major role in the pre-shipment testing of the System/7, checking for potential trouble during the assembly process. At the IBM General Systems Division facility in Boca Raton, Fla., a technician testing a System/7 feature module (center foreground) -- one of up to 12 sub-units that formed the computer’s basic building blocks -- uses an IBM 1130 computer and automatic system entry device (left background) to enter test information from punched cards. This system was linked to a nearby IBM System/360 Model 40 which stored test programs and common data used to verify module functions and diagnose failures. A direct digital test module (right background) provided a communications link between a test processor and a group of simulators (right and left foreground). The input/output tester (right foreground) generated simulated analog signals to check the computer’s analog elements. The test station power system (left foreground) generated operational power to the module under test and also housed a System/7 processor unit to provide module interface simulation.